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29th April 2014

Vintage karters go back to the bush - From the Grenfell Record

(http://www.grenfellrecord.com.au/story/2213437/meet-in-grenfell-vintage-karters-go-back-to-the-bush/?cs=677)

A vintage Darcy Dart Go-Kart 1963 model with owner Max Laybutt of Camden at the Grenfell Bogolong circuit last weekend. More of the same will soon be amking their way to Grenfell.

Vintage and Historic Karts of Australia (NSW) is the NSW group of people dedicated to finding, restoring, and demonstrating the karts of our past, they are part of a National organisation which has like minded clubs in most states of Australia and they are a division of the National Australian Karting Association.

Grenfell NSW was one of the very first NSW locations that had the facility to conduct go-kart meetings. The track was completed more than 50 years ago and has seen many competitors from Grenfell, Young, Forbes, Cowra, and many other surrounding towns over the past years participate in this magic sport, and many former State and National Champions were the product of this town, the surrounding district, and its Karting Club.

“Once upon a time”, the Grenfell Kart Club, and indeed the entire town, on the long weekend of June each year, at the circuit, played host to one of the biggest Karting events of the Australian Calendar the local Henry Lawson Festival Titles, and as a competitor of the time I remember clearly the great Leonard Teal, reciting Australian Poetry on the steps of the Grenfell town hall, the enormous parade of the local businesses, through the streets of Grenfell where the Grenfell Kart Club always provided a suitable “Float” full of karts, karters, and many supporters.

The Saturday night at the local Bowling Club, was a night to remember, with a good supply of country food and suitable beverage , while a local band played the tunes of the day to entice the people onto the dance floor for what was always a very enjoyable night.

June in Grenfell was always “Cold As!” and an electric blanket for the nights was an essential part of our equipment for the weekend, along with a supply of suitable liquid “warmer” (RUM).

In conjunction with the local Grenfell Kart Club, it will be a privilege, on August 22 and 23 to bring the members of the Vintage and Historic Karts Australia (NSW) to the people of Grenfell and the surrounding district, for a historic revival, with a gathering of karts, as they used to be, in the hope that they can replicate some of our greatest karting memories with our clubs trip back to the bush.

Our New South Wales members will invite and hopefully will be joined by Vintage Karting devotees from Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, and even Western Australia all of whom could bring a variety of old memories and Karts for display and exhibition.

The display of some of the very best collection of vintage karts, some restored to a better than new condition, will be coupled with an on track demonstration, which will run on Friday August 22 and Saturday August 23, 2014.